S&T Series: Employee Handbook Do’s and Don’ts

Employee handbooks are an effective way to communicate policies and procedures to employees.  However, a poorly drafted handbook may put an employer at risk for unanticipated liability.  Employee handbooks are not “one size fits all.”  It is critical that any handbook reflect the unique circumstances of that particular workplace.   But there are essential policies that should be part of every handbook.  With more scrutiny by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on employee handbooks, coupled with the tsunami of harassment allegations being heard at many companies from all over the U.S., it is more important than ever that companies develop and maintain their employee handbooks correctly.

Webinar highlights

The PA Chamber presents top employment law attorney Jeffrey Pasek, Partner, with Cozen O’Connor, to walk you through the legal do’s and don’ts in managing your company’s employee handbook.  He will:

• Discuss strategies workplaces should consider as to the scope, nature and tone of the employee handbook – do you want to list only the bare minimum of mandatory polices, or cover all types of policies beyond what is required by law, such as dress code? Do you want to promote generous leave polices, should you have them, or keep the tone strictly conservative?  Do you want to reflect your company culture?
• Review the mandatory policies all employee handbooks must include – examples are equal employment opportunity, the FMLA, wage and hour safe harbor language, and others
• With harassment claims making daily headlines, we will cover the mandatory harassment policies you must have and how to properly word your policy to protect your company
• Review the optional policies and explain why a company may, or may not, want to include these – examples are inclement weather, performance evaluations, workplace violence
• Review the electronic systems policies you should include – use of company computers, laptops, cell phones, tablets and notebooks, to name a few
• Discuss ever-changing decisions by the National Labor Relations Board finding common handbook provisions unlawful (even for non-union workplaces), and how to fix the provisions before you get cited by the NLRB
• Demonstrate ways that carefully worded employee handbooks can protect a company from liability

The speaker will open up the last few minutes of the webinar to answer questions from participants.